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Serban Marinescu, of Holly Sugar
Corporation and Greg Cameron, Holly seed sales representative, show jars of
Holly seeds, which are now available for Magic Valley growers. Some of the
beets in the pile behind them were raised with Holly seed.
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By
Lorraine Cavener, The
Times-News Online
November 19, 2001 |
RUPERT -- Holly sugar beet seed is now available to Magic Valley
growers.
"We have developed some seed
specifically for this area," said Serban Marinescu, sales and service
representative for the Holly Sugar Corporation.
Research to create new varieties is in its
final phase.
A Holly hybrid has been developed, which is
resistant to curly top and rhyzomania, he said.
"It is meeting all the seed committee
requirements," Marinescu said.
The seed committee meets Dec. 15 to pass
the new varieties, as long as they meet all requirements.
University proprietary trials in growers'
fields for irrigation, fertilizer, disease protection and other factors
have proven successful, said Greg Cameron, Holly seed sales
representative.
"This gives the farmer an opportunity
for another variety that might work better than what they have now,"
Cameron said.
With six companies competing in the Magic
Valley to sell beet seed to farmers, the product has to be good to make it
in the market, he said.
"They've got to have good sugar, good
emergence and it's got to be harvestable with good tons to the acre and
good sugar to the acre," Cameron said.
Tom Haynes of B & F Farms said the seed
appears to have all the components Cameron mentioned. B & F grew about
200 acres of Holly beets this year in variety trials.
"They did real well as far as
sugar," Haynes said, adding that some of the Holly beets were dug
early. "They had the highest sugar of any of our early beets."
But he and his partners are withholding
judgment.
"We are going to plant some more this
next year," Haynes said.
Cameron, who has been selling Holly beet
seed on a limited basis in this area for three years, said the company is
ready to go full market this year.
"Holly is making a real commitment to
be here," he said.
Two varieties are ready for full commercial
market and two are ready for limited use.
Although the market is competitive, based
on the overall results Cameron has seen, he's confident about the future
of the product.
"I know we will be able to
compete," he said.
Holly is a division of the Imperial Sugar
Company, based in Sugarland, Texas. |
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